The Family Experiment

By Mayank Chamoli

"This story revolves around Amar, a young middle class Indian boy,

struggling to land a job after completion of his engineering degree. He

spends most of his time in house and lost all his outside connections.

Life takes a twist when his school friend comes to meet him and through

multiple conversations, creates two big d

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ukiyoto Publishing
• Release date: May 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9789361728570

Book preview

The Family Experiment

Mayank Chamoli

Ukiyoto Publishing

All global publishing rights are held by

Ukiyoto Publishing

Published in 2022

Content Copyright © Mayank Chamoli

ISBN

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system, in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated, without the publisher’s prior consent, in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published.

www.ukiyoto.com

Contents

The Seed of doubt is sown

Nothing but Confusions

Ignorance is bliss, but how long?

Testing the Conundrum

One more Test please!

Action is about to start!

Halfway is here!

A Surprise unfolds!

What a plan!

Nigh is near , A happy one?

About the Author

The Seed of doubt is sown

W

hat comes to mind when you hear the word Experiment?Well, most of us  would start thinking about the experiments we did during school or college days or maybe recall some experiments done by famous people to achieve some amazing results. I don't want you to recall any experiment you have in your memory but focus on this Family Experiment which you are going to read about. Well, this experiment  is conducted by Amar, with emotions full of pain, love, care, fear, and many more.

Well, those who are wondering What does his name mean? Let me clarify for you, it means immortal. His memory resembles his name, as it is long-lasting, and because of that, he sometimes finds it difficult to get over certain things. He was a late bloomer from a young age, as he learned many things later than most people of his age. For example, he learned to ride a bicycle at the age of 13, whereas most of his friends learned it at the age of 10. Some of you might think that he has had a learning disability since he was young, but its not. Things around him were not able to produce the desired situation where he could learn many things when others were learning . For example, Getting a bicycle at the age of 13 would have never helped him to learn it at the age of 10.Resources were late to arrive, not his ability to grasp or learn them.

Not only is he a late bloomer in many things in life, but he is also late in realising that fact as well. How comic! He realised this after amassing a large number of academic papers but still being unable to find work. It has been three years since his last day of college, and his college memories are getting faded as well. He is going through a pressure tunnel created by  his own expectations and finding no sign of light at the other end of it, but he is going in the hope of surpassing it. Pressure, frustration, and fear of failure are trying their best to put him under tremendous pressure, but like most Bollywood movies with happy endings, he is hoping for a similar result in his life.

Now a few of you might be struggling to portray him in your mind. Well, let me help you with that. He is an average-height, lanky gentleman with better intelligence than most of his friends. Remember, I said intelligence, not academic results. There is a difference between those two things. His intelligence is the sole reason his family has high expectations from him though they never expressed it openly to him . He suffers from imposter syndrome at times because he can't accept the fact that, despite being labelled intelligent since childhood, he is struggling to make a few dollars. Oh yeah! Dollars are used rather than INR because of his truly global aim. That's all about him, as we try to look at the other people with whom he lives. In summary, it is a four-member Indian middle-class family. They have some big hopes for the future, the pressure of those hopes, some specters, but a very positive attitude.

The head of the family is his father, whose name is Nischint, which means free from worries or sure about things. He is within touching distance of 60, and his facial expressions suggest that he is indeed Nischint (worry-free). He works at a sugar mill as a manager, but he never gave that impression. Don't take it in a negative way! He always worked as if he is the owner and being very attentive and punctual at work. Work is worship, which is what he radiates from his passion and devotion towards it.

Second in command is Mrs. Mamta, which means love of a mother or motherhood. A strong house manager with excellent money management skills. Every penny saved by the family demonstrates her financial prudence. She could be referred as the family's Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Now we move to the youngest member of  the family, and that is Amar’s sister, named Sanskriti, which means tradition or custom. She is still in school and soon will be transitioning into college life. She is not only intelligent but also possesses skills like painting and cooking, though she has no intention to make a career as a chef.

Now we have a good idea about each member of the family, but there is one more character who will appear to disrupt things very soon, otherwise things were going quite smoothly in the family. Hold on! Before we take a plunge into his characteristics, we have to understand the sequence of events that led to that disruption. To understand it, let's go back to the beginning. Yes, back to Amar and his life.

Before enrolling in an engineering program, he tried a variety of activities with which he struggled to connect. Because his neighbours come from various walks of life, he must listen to a few of them. He attempted and failed the army officer examination twice. The same fate was there with the entrance examinations for top engineering colleges. Those few months felt like he was in love with something, broke up with it, then pursued someone new and met the same fate. He moved on from that love story when he enrolled at a nearby engineering college. Despite the fact that it was expensive, the family was able to pay the fees. I am not rewarding anyone who could guess how was it possible. We all know it was due to Chief Financial Officer's wise savings and spending money on things that were needed rather than 30% off but unnecessary items.Well, the Chief Financial Officer  deserved the much needed designation ,and by now we all know why.

Throughout his four years of engineering, he was put under pressure not only by the difficulty of the course, but also by the constant selection of engineers for insanely expensive packages at big tech companies. Since receiving the fragrance of those large MNCs' (multinational corporations) packages, he can't wait to taste the entire pie of it.That was the first time Amar felt that his expectations weighed more than his own weight. Expectations were raised even higher because he is described as intelligent.These expectations played a dual role in his life. They not only put him under pressure but gave him a sense of confidence that, though it might be tough to get a job in an MNC (multinational corporation) but if he got that, then surely it was going to be a big lottery or a jackpot. When he was in his last year of engineering, he tried to get through multiple MNC interviews but couldn’t get through any of them, though he was offered jobs in a few companies, but he didn't take any of them as he was after MNCs and their big packages.The intoxication of big packages from MNCs was so high on his mind that he never looked at those job offers that were given to him by non-MNCs. Few of his friends took non-MNC jobs because they believed that gaining experience was critical at that age and after 3–4 years, they would eventually land in an MNC.I am sure that you are well hooked and remember his characteristics.

The first year after degree completion was wasted sending resumes to various MNCs, hoping to land a job at one of them.Second year, finally the big package intoxication went down, and he struggled to find work because no company would hire someone with no experience and a full year of Gap. During second year, It seems like those non-MNCs that he rejected a year earlier were taking revenge by rejecting him.

The third year after graduation was the most difficult for him, and he tried many things other than applying for jobs, such as blog writing and even social media, but nothing worked out. The fear of failure started creeping up in his mind and he started having depression and anxiety. He started spending most of his time in the room in front of his computer applying jobs and looking for other things he could start to make some money. He stopped talking to all of his college friends and lost most of his outside connections. In this while he developed the fear of getting asked what are you doing in life by neighbours so he started staying in as much as possible. In a few months time, he felt completely isolated and was living in prison with no intention of walking out. This lack of connection with the outside world could have gone on forever, but then comes our catalyst, who will change the whole scenario. For those of you who are wondering what a catalyst is, it is something that helps two or more chemicals react without participating in the reaction. How did it happen? Hold on, we are slowly progressing towards it.

It was one fine evening, fine because the weather was really nice, but Amar has nothing nice going on in his life. There was a knock on his house’s entrance door. After a while, Amar’s mom shouted, Amar, your friend is here. When he heard it, he was shocked, as it has been a long time since any of his friends have visited him. He quickly got ready and went out to see who it was.

Oh, Samridh, how are you? Amar asked his friend a question.

(Samridh means Prosperous or wealthy)

I am doing okay, and how about you, Amar? Samridh responded with a question as well.

Nothing spectacular. It is like counting days rather than making days count.

Samridh was astonished to hear this from Amar’s mouth, as Amar was someone he always looked at as a very smart and mentally tough guy.

What happened to you? It has been almost 7 years since we last met, said Samridh.

Those 7 years flew by at such a breakneck pace that I didn't get time to react. It has been a swing between my engineering degree and my quest for a job. It seems like 7 years have taken more than half of my lifetime, Amar replied, with disdain clearly written on his face.

Samridh wasn't expecting that kind of reply and tried to further dig into the matter as he wanted to understand exactly what went wrong with Amar.Before he could ask anything further, Amar asked him to come in as they were still at the door.After they had settled down, Amar told him the entire story, from the time he started college until now, and how much pressure he is under. After hearing his story, Samridh was lost for a while, which is when Amar asked him what happened.

I think my decision to not invest in education was right after schooling,replied Samridh.He further said, See, Amar, I didn't spend a single penny on my tertiary education and used that money to feed my business idea.

What business idea? asked Amar with curiosity.

I started off supplying groceries to a very small hotel, and with constant efforts, now I am supplying groceries to 10 big hotels and about two dozen restaurants.

Wow, you have built a successful business from the ground up in 7 years and still going strong, said Amar with a smile and pride.

Thank you, and you could have been my business partner had you listened to me 7 years ago when I suggested this business idea to you, Samridh responded with a kind of disappointment.

Well, yeah, I understand what you are trying to say, but back then, I was captivated by MNCs and their big packages and never thought about starting my own business, said Amar.

I believe it is still not too late, as I am planning to start a new business of supplying flowers to various hotels and restaurants. You could join me with some capital, and we could use your intelligence to grow it quickly as well. I know you passed up the business opportunity 7 years ago, but I am offering it to you again, Samridh said, presenting a business proposal.

It sounds great, but as you know, I have spent a significant amount of money on my studies and am not earning right now, so I can't say yes immediately. I need some time to think about it, and I also need my family's approval, as they will be funding my this venture as well, replied Amar.

I understand your situation, and I am not in a hurry as well.I would also need some time to arrange enough funding to start it off, explained Samridh.

I think I need to leave now to prepare some receipts for tomorrow’s grocery order and collect some orders as well. Take care, Amar, and please consider my business proposal as well.

Thank you, Samridh, and I will let you know soon , replied Amar.

Nothing but Confusions

O

nce Samridh left, Amar went to his room and started thinking about what should be his next step. Should I join Samridh and start a new life, or should I still keep trying to look for a job?At this point, Amar could feel that his personality has been split into two distinct personalities, where one suggests that he takes a new start in life where he could work hard with his friend and start making money, which would help him to get stress-free, and the other suggests that he keeps his focus on finding a job as targeting multiple things could be proven fatal, and investing money in business could bring him more stress and frustration.

The whole night, those things kept on going in his mind, and he found  difficult to sleep. The next day, he even took a pen and paper to write pros and cons to understand it better, but sadly, he can't convince himself to invest in business right now.Days and weeks passed, and that business idea slipped out of his mind, and he never contacted his friend to say yes or no about it either.One day, Amar’s phone rang. It was his friend, Samridh. He thought that Samridh must be calling to know about his decision regarding new business.

When he answered the phone, Samridh asked him if he was available tomorrow to accompany him on a trip to a hotel where he was going to negotiate a business deal for supplying flowers. Amar was trying to avoid any kind of question regarding that investment plan, so he quickly said yes and hung up the phone. The next day, he met with Samridh early in the morning and went to the hotel he talked about yesterday. This is the first time in many years that he has